The amazingly beautiful complex of buildings of the Nikolo-Vyazhischi Convent of the Russian Orthodox Church is located near the village of Vyazhischi in Novgorod Oblast, about 15 km north-west of Veliky Novgorod.

The architectural structures of the convent are an invaluable cultural monument of the Novgorod land. It is famous for the extraordinary variety of tiles that decorate the buildings of the church complex. The Nikolo-Vyazhischi Convent on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexander Lipilin.

very picturesque convent

Tags: churches · Novgorod oblast

Carl Oswald Bulla or Karl Karlovich Bulla (1855-1929), a portraitist and master of documentary photography, was the owner of a photo studio in St. Petersburg. He became known as “the father of Russian photo reporting.”

In 1886, he received from the Ministry of Internal Affairs “permission to carry out all kinds of photographic work outside his home, such as: on the streets, apartments and in the vicinity of St. Petersburg.” In 1897, Karl Bulla’s photographs began to be published in the popular magazine “Niva”. Since that time, his name became known throughout the Russian Empire.

In total, his legacy is about 230 thousand photographs of the late 19th – early 20th centuries. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Tsarskoselsky (Vitebsky) railway station in St. Petersburg.

unique photos of the Russian Empire

Tags: Russian Empire · Saint Petersburg city

Jacques Reyne Isidore Acarie-Baron (1798-1874) was a French painter and scientific illustrator and here is one of his works – The Panorama of Moscow from the Ivan the Great Bell Tower dedicated to the Emperor of Russia and created in 1847.

This bell tower with a total height of 81 m is the tallest building of the Moscow Kremlin.

unique views of Moscow

Tags: Moscow city

Staraya Russa, first mentioned in 1167, is a town of about 28 thousand people located in Novgorod Oblast in the northwest of European Russia, about 96 km south of Veliky Novgorod.

This is one of the oldest Russian towns with a large number of preserved architectural monuments of different eras. Staraya Russa on Google Maps. Photos by: Alexander Lipilin.

very picturesque provincial town

Tags: Novgorod oblast

The Akhmat Kadyrov Mosque “Heart of Chechnya” located in the center of Grozny, the capital of the Chechen Republic, is one of the largest mosques in Russia and Europe. The construction of the mosque lasted from April 2006 to October 2008.

The mosque stands on the picturesque bank of the Sunzha River, in the middle of a huge park (14 hectares) and is part of the Islamic complex, which, in addition to the mosque, includes the Russian Islamic University named after Kunta-haji Kishiev and the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Chechen Republic. Photos by: Alexander Popov.

amazing mosque

Tags: Chechnya Republic · Grozny city

The Rybachy Peninsula is the northernmost part of continental European Russia located in Murmansk Oblast and washed by the Barents Sea. The coastal waters are rich in fish (herring, cod, capelin, etc.), hence its name meaning “Fishing Peninsula”.

Despite its northern location, it is the warmest place in the entire Russian north. Off the coast of the peninsula, the sea doesn’t freeze all year round thanks to the warm North Cape Current. The Rybachy Peninsula on Google Maps. Photos by: Sergey Korolev.

amazing landscapes

Tags: Murmansk oblast

Moscow Oblast (unofficially – Podmoskovye) is inextricably linked with the capital of Russia, despite its separate administrative status. In terms of population, it surpasses all other subjects of the Russian Federation, second only to Moscow.

This is a region not only with huge economic potential, but also a wonderful place with a rich thousand-year history, attracting travelers from all over Russia and abroad. Photos by: Slava Stepanov.

The pseudo-Gothic St. Nicholas Cathedral. It was built at the beginning of the 19th century on the place where the Mozhaisk Kremlin once stood.

attractions of the Moscow region

Tags: churches · Moscow Oblast · Moskovskaya oblast

The Shoana church, built in the Byzantine architectural style at the end of the 10th century, is one of the oldest Christian churches in Russia.

It is located on the southeastern spur of the very picturesque Shoana Mountain (1,232 meters) on the left bank of the Kuban River in the central part of the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia in the foothills of the northwestern Caucasus. Shoana Church on Google Maps. Photos by: Fedor Lashkov.

picturesque mountain church

Tags: Cherkessk city · Karachay-Cherkessia Republic

The Bykovo Estate is a manor complex located in the park in the village of Bykovo in Moscow Oblast, about 40 km southeast of the center of Moscow. This is an outstanding example of Russian architecture and gardening art of the era of Emperor Nicholas I. The territory of the estate and the adjacent park is about 30 hectares.

The main architectural attraction of the Bykovo Estate is the Church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God – a famous monument of Russian pseudo-Gothic architecture of the 18th century. The Bykovo Estate on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

unusual Orthodox church

Tags: churches · Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

Veshalovka is a village with a population of about 700 people located in Lipetsk Oblast, about 29 km northwest of Lipetsk and 410 km south of Moscow.

The main attraction of Veshalovka is the Orthodox Church of the Icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” (1794) or simply Znamenskaya built in the pseudo-Gothic style, which is unusual for this part of Russia. Today, it is an architectural monument of federal significance. Veshalovka on Google Maps. Photos by: Vadim Razumov.

very picturesque church

Tags: churches · Lipetsk oblast